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2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu

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Comments

  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    As a new owner, I have to agree the ergo team did not do the best job, but have ran across this in other vehicles as well. The seat going back beyond the door pillar so far does not make much sense except for long legged drivers and they would probably find getting in and out difficult moving to a larger vehicle.
    I think most of the problem would be eliminated if they used a true tilt steering wheel, one that tilts up completely out of the way like older models.
    And on the tilt issue, I find it near impossible to find a position where the wheel does not block part of the speedometer and it is comfortable. I guess the test dummies don't have eyes.
    Part of that might be eliminated if they put a decent sized steering wheel back in vehicles. I'm rather broad shouldered and would find it much more comfortable if it was at least 2"larger in diameter.
    I'm hoping it lives up to mileage claims.
  • winzwinz Member Posts: 9
    I had rotor problems (@ low milage) and the GM dealer would not replace the rotors as I requested. They would only turn them, which solved the problem for a short time. Now I'll have to replace the rotors. This Malibu has other issues which they will not address. Beware of the characteristic. GM treats it's cutomers in a shabby BS way. Maybe that's why they have lost so much market share. I will not purchase another GM product.Way to go GM.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Rotors are not a common issue with the Malibu period. I'm not saying that you are at fault but I also don't know of any car maker that replaces rotors unless it's a manufacturing default. My friend had the same issue in his Acura and they wouldn't put new rotors on either.

    What other "issue will GM not address"?
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    That is generally true. It should be the law that they have to provide a place for the customer to watch from. It would keep them more honest. If you can show that they who did the service of dropping wheels for whatever reason used an impact wrench and not a torque wrench, you've got them, not the manufacturer.
    I was at a chain that also keeps a store when an irate customer got free rotors and drums because of impact wrench use. The manager then went and got an arm load of torque wrenches from the store shelves and handed them to mechanics, saying "Put this in your tool box." And that is where they stayed. The guy got them because they could not even show him one. So a picture will speak all that is needed.
    I also got a set of rotors and drums. I had just done a brake job and had only 2000 miles on it. Well broke in. I went in for a tire rotation and in a few days the warpage started to show up. About two weeks passed and the whole car would shake when braked.
    I have not seen the construction of the Malibu rotors. GM started using some two piece rotors in mid 90's. The top hat area was not cast into the rotor. Instead it was a stamped steel plate welded to the rotor. This seemed more forgiving to improperly torqued wheel nuts, but it was not perfect I can say from personal experience. When it came time to turn them because I was replacing pads, they were ruined. I am not sure if it was the shop and a bad lathe or bad mounting, or because of the design.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I had issue with remote for 96 Aurora. Could this still be the same problem?
    As I recall, the issue was with the battery holder which is the negative contact. It is made of a material that will not take solder but merely fills the gap around the leg of the holder. I came up with a fix that secured it better.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Smaller windows will likely be here to stay because of weight and mileage issues. Glass is far heavier than sheet metal. Sheet metal can be easily formed and constructed to add strength and protection. Glass breaks.
    Weight is why you no longer have glass head lamps, but instead a formed plastic assembly with a small bulb.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Are they mushy? AT6 is pretty smooth, but one of the upshifts, 1 to 2, I think, is a little mushy. May need time to break in. Also, one of the downshifts is rather noticeable at times.
    I would rather have a tranny with over-run clutches, unless driving continuously in steep grades where I would force a downshift. You will get better mileage. Needing that slight engine braking that occurs in the moment you let off accelerator before applying brake likely means you are driving to fast for road conditions, following to closely, and wasting gas.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    OMG, this 09 has 17 of them. And an obvious problem at GM, possibly idiots or cost cutters. One of the bulletins is the same issue and fix that was on my 96 Aurora. And it was supposedly fixed in later years during production.
    The issue involves the cooling fans and an electrical spike that occurs when they are turned off or change speed. The motor windings act like a transformer with a collapsing field and send the spike into all other circuits. The one that has shown up in the TSB is the transmission control module, but it can affect all electronic components.
    I have to wonder if it is the result of management that does not know the difference between a diode and a electric motor, or it is because of some idiot that thinks job security is job one. He gets to remake the same drawing every couple of years.
    Let me delve into the importance of this issue with semi-conductors of all types. They have a design working voltage and current specifications as well as max temperature. And they also have specs for reverse voltage and current, among other specs. Exceeding these values can cause punch through which is an area of damage. Depending upon the severity of the damage, it might cause immediate failure, but at least an early failure whether it is next week or next year, or later!
    And since this is such a basic problem and repetative with GM, I feel that they should be on the line for the life of the vehicle, not five years.
    Also, if I had the oscilloscope to check the spike, I'd be looking at the voltage of that spike to determine if a diode alone was sufficient to stop damage. The diode, assuming an extremely fast reaction time will only catch the reverse spike which will quickly kill the ringing pattern of the windings. But will a single large spike of the correct polarity get through? That too can kill electronic circuits and then it would seem that a fast acting Zenor diode of maybe 16Volts would also be necessary.
    In any event, get your vehicle checked immediately for the service bulletin and get a copy of the work.
  • malibeewmalibeew Member Posts: 1
    Wondering if anyone else out there had a vehicle fire in their 2008 Malibu. Started in the centre console on the passenger side, just to the right of the gear shifter. Repair shop/adjuster says it started in the wiring harness or airbag sensor.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Sounds like a fluke. Sorry to hear it.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    So I have passed 1 year with my 2008 LT2 V6.

    Likes - Car drives great, smooth ride and transmission. Very comfortable on long trips, seat warmers keep my wife warm in the winter.Interior is also nice and quiet.

    Dislikes - Trunk opening could be bigger. V6 mileage could be better.

    Issues - None

    What others say - I get a lot of surprised people sitting in my car. People are surprised how upscale this Chevy looks inside and out. I can't disagree. It's not a Mercedes, but it's not suppose to be either.

    Still could not be happier with my car. :shades:
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    I have an '08 malibu with 22,000 miles and i am hearing a wierd clicking noise when driving slowly around like 10-20mph, any higher mph the noise is there just hard to listen through the road/tire noise. it only happens when moving and sounds like its coming out of the front passenger wheel area (but i could be wrong). any ideas?
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Weird could be spooky, but I suspect you should not have a clicking noise. Perhaps if you could describe it a bit more.
    If you have that much road noise, you have noisy tires or is it that faint? Try a quieter type of surface.
    Immediately check wheel nuts to make sure you don't have a loose wheel!!!!
    You might try removing wheel and check area for something that is making intermittant contact. Calipers have been known to make such a sound, especially if the rotor is warped, but then you might also feel that when you brake. With that mileage, you have likely had tires rotated. Have you heeded my advice of getting a torque wrench and check behind the mechanic so that you don't incur such damage? (posted elsewhere as a warning to all)
    Also CV joints can make a sound that is somewhat like a clicking if there is a lot of wear. Usually it occurs prematurely if the boot has been punctured and you loose all of the grease. And often the clicking is worse in a slow turn.
    Also check to see if something is stuck in the tire that might make such a sound as it comes in contact with the road.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I did a search for 09 and this is what I found.
    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/results.cfm
    What really caught my eye was the missing diodes from the fan circuit because they did the same thing on Olds Aurora's. My 96 had the jumper harness added that fixed the problem. Knowing a bit of semiconductor design parameters, voltage spikes beyond design parameters will likely damage them or lead to an immediate death of components. If damaged, it is hard to pinpoint an exact time of death, it could be minutes or even years, but definitely a premature death is extremely likely once the damage has occured.
    Reviewing the 17 service bulletins at this link, most of them could be related to this design flaw. BTW, this also effects some Pontiacs, some '08's, and probably some Saturns. There are only three of these bulletins that can be ruled out, with what info is provided, as not being related to possible damage caused by missing diodes. Two are for hybrid models and the third seems to have been tracked to a loose ground wire by the AC compressor.

    If anyone learns the procedure for determining if the diodes are missing, please post back.
  • uncledewey1uncledewey1 Member Posts: 25
    I had a disaster with my last car when a radiator hose broke and fried my engine, thus I am now driving 2008 Malibu LTZ 3.6 V-6. In the old days I was under the hood working on spark plugs, points, etc. and would notice when belts and hoses needed replacement. Are the new hoses more durable and how long before one should automatically replace them?

    Thanks, Uncle Dewey
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    My experience only relates to cars that are older. So, I would hope that by now they have worked bugs out of switching to serpentine belts. And that they use quality belts and hoses. I can only hope that they last 10 years, but I won't bet on it. Prior to serpentine, you could get 10 years if it was set up correctly. Often the brackets and parts had a lot of play in the holes and you had to pry the parts into alignment before tightenting. Poor alignment will kill a belt in very short time. And there was the retensioning after break in. I had an 84 Topaz where I replaced the timing, main belt, and idler as ot was approaching 100K. But the alternator belt, because of poor design, was about every 10K. Too much play in alternator pivot point making it very hard to align. Also a very short belt run off PS pump and because the alternator pulley was so small it did not provide enough gripping surface.
    I guess it is time to check warranty and see if belts and hoses are covered.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    I still have all my original hoses...but have replaced the surpentine belt...(at about 80K), but it exhibited signs of wear as well..cracking, ribbing missing etc.....
    at my 100K maintenance I also replaced the plug wires as well.....hoses still are pliable and dont show any signs of cracking....so should still be good....have 155K on my 04 Maxx LT
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    Hey thanks for replying. Yeah today I found out my driver side headlight is moist inside, and I had the time so I went to the dealer about the light and also mention the noises. and I will be dropping it off officially monday morning since they need a whole day for it. And this is all under warranty. I'll let you know what it is.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Looking forward to your reply.
    Mine is at shop as well. They say the check engine was because of a bad gas cap.
    I am disappointed to learn that is not a switch at the gas door hooked to the alarm.
    Also a foam gasket inside rear window is dislodged. Said they had to replace that whole rear deck panel which seems crazy.
    Still on the hunt for why the vehicle feels so loose and seems to have play in steering, electric assist.
    They got me loaner from Hertz, a LS. Also has some of the weird feeling but hard to tell what is causing issue when this one had dings in both left side wheels and major differences in tire pressure and tire noise that might be cupping or maybe CV joints. Only had 25K. For drivability, the AT6 with I4 is a must. This loaner is a dog.

    I will continue to hunt issue related to loose steering and post what I find. I glanced at an LTZ in showroom with V6, 3.6. The EPA shows worse mileage than an Impala a couple of vehicles over with 3.5 V6 and AT4. How can that be?
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    What about plugs? And O2 sensors?
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    Interesting. Just curious what is your year and mileage? Hopefully nothing else comes around that needs repairing/replacing even though its all on warranty.

    I'll let ya know what the deal is about my noises.

    let me know whats going on about that steering.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    The loaner they got from Hertz, an LS with 25K, had a number of sounds coming from what sounded to be suspension bushings. Definitely not impressive at that mileage. Also I suspect the carpet package that adds a thick one to the trunk is helping keep noise down.
    Mine is 09 Malibu LT2 I4 AT6.
    I'm still not sure where this steering issue is at. My suspicions are 1) something to do with electric power steering, 2) related to alignment, or 3) the tires.
    On the alignment issue, there are two points the way this is aligned compared to what good alignments would be. First, it is stated that for best straight line handling the left side castor should generally be higher than the right side. Mine is the opposite.
    Second, I have issue with the spec for left front camber being different than right side. They tell me this is more common with newer vehicles. Most vehicles would only have this if you intend to drive in circles. Another measurement that is relative to camber is the SAI (something like steering arm inclination). You add this to the camber to get the "included angle" and the difference side to side is supposed to be zero. One of the things this effects is the natural returning to center of the steering if you let loose of the steering wheel coming out of a turn. My print out does not give a specified range for SAI, Included Angle, Turning Angle Difference, Cross SAI, Cross Turn Difference, or on the rear, the Cross Camber. They did give the actual readings of most of these. I plan on having another shop look at it.
    3) Tires. I am not happy with a couple of characteristics of these FR710s, but can not say they are definitely effecting this loose feeling at center until the other two items are ruled out. Not without investing in a new set of tires on a maybe.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    added note concerning it being covered under warranty. This dealer no longer supplies the loaner but gets them from Hertz. These seem to be ragged out cars. First you have to agree on a day, and sometimes they suddenly come up with a conflict when you arrive. (Come back another day). Assuming it is set, they call Hertz to come pick you up. You wait. You go to Hertz, you wait, then go through the usual mess of renting a car before getting under way. When they get it fixed, you go back to Hertz, do the check in, and they drive you to dealer. You pray the work is actually completed.
    Comment from the Hertz counter, two of them told me they see far more business from Chevy than any other dealership they work with.
  • rogerdoger45rogerdoger45 Member Posts: 3
    2008 Chevy Malibu Annoying Shrieking Brakes does anyone know if this is under warranty?I have about 13 thousand Mile on the LS .
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    Well I got the car back from the dealer, and they replaced for one noise i was having, a right sway bar connection, and for the other noise, they replaced the steering shaft, and the headlight all under warranty. Interesting you mentioned the steering because after this replacement, the steering actually feels more solid when going straight. Like I used to have to twitch the steering wheel left and right. And I can't really say how the rental goes at my dealer because I'm about a week away from my 21st birthday, they did offer it but the age killed it.
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    Yes, the shrieking brake noise is covered under warranty. This is what I wrote about it in August.

    We are in the 18th month of ownership of our 2008 Malibu LS.

    Well would you know it--our 2008 Malibu with 15,000 miles was doing fine until the brakes suddenly started to pulsate. We took it to the dealership and their technician determined that the brake rotors had excessive “run out” (whatever that means). They resurfaced the two front rotors and road test. The tech says pulsation was better after the resurfacing but still there. They then resurfaced the rear rotors, which feel much better although not as good as original.

    Also, the shrill or shrieking noise at drive-off was eliminated. Thank God that annoying noise is gone.

    Both repairs were covered under warranty. When we asked how much it cost they refuse to disclose that information. Not that it matters since Obama has guaranteed all GM warranties.
    .
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Twitching the steering wheel would be another good definition for what I'm experiencing.
    It seems both components will effect handling. Sway bar components because it will affect the natural height side to side, thus affecting the alignment. Are you saying the twitching is no longer needed? Are you sure that the alignment has not been affected so that it pulls into one end of the twitch constantly. If so, watch out for when a bump or something decides to steer the vehicle to the opposite end of that twitch zone.
    Hope you've got your troubles solved. With todays technology we should be able to run a vehicle to 100K trouble & defect free, except for oil, filter, and tires, excepting abuse type issues.
    I've had more than vehicle where pads lasted 100K and one of them had heavy diesel motor. It seems that all could. They just have to tighten quality control.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Glad to hear it was covered, but lets evaluate this warped rotor stuff. You got a problem, you have to deal with getting car serviced, maybe a loaner or not. Inconvenience.
    They turn your rotors, but still not as good as it was. They've removed metal from them and you can usually only do this once, so next time you have to buy new ones, most often not covered under warranty, unless you can prove it was their fault. Since it was covered, but still not as good, I'd demand new ones.
    So, why did they warp? Nearly all of the time it is because of improper tightening of wheel nuts. Enevenly tightened or overtightened. If they tell you it is because you ran through some water, BS. That only accelerated the real cause which would be improper tightening or a bad design. Most designs are pretty standard and I know of none that have a particular issue. (an example of a design that is a problem because of design would be Tiburon clutch pressure plate. For those who don't know, this is a piece of metal similar to rotor that spins and similarly brake pads engage it as a clutch pad does. They redesigned the center mount and made it out of aluminum. Result, premature failure of components, warping, in as little as 10K. Not covered under warranty.)
    It is a sure bet you've had tires rotated and/or balanced. They did not use a torque wrench to tighten, but an impact instead. That is the reason for your trouble. Make them show you that torque wrench in the tire and brake bay, not one from someone elses area or tool box.
    Buy yourself a torque wrench, $20 and up, and the socket needed, ~$5. Keep it in the trunk and check before leaving dealer anytime a wheel is removed. About 10 minutes to check all nuts. Loosen slightly and then tighten to the setting of the wrench.
    The cheap wrench may not be accurately calibrated, but then even expensive ones should be recalibrated periodically. If it has been, it will have a calibration sticker on it saying when and by whom.
    Even if yours is not calibrated accurately, you won't likely be using it much and it would not be off by much unless you got a really bad one. The most important part to prevent warpage is that the nuts all have the same torque which will be acheived even if it is off a few pounds.
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    No it wasn't alignment because it didn't constantly pull to the right or left, it just twitched. lol I'm not sure how to describe it. But now there is no noise and no twitching(even though i wasn't concerned about that) and a nice new headlight, now its driving beautifully like when I got it.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    You can have alignment issues without it pulling, and pulling that is not alignment.
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    Always when any of my cars were pulling left or right, they do an allignment and it doesnt pull anymore. and by pulling i mean if you're driving on a straight road and partially release the steering wheel and the car merges left or right; thats what i mean by pulling. and yes allignment issues could be w/o pulling, however pulling is a possible cause of allignment. allignment is the first thing to check for a problem like pulling

    http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    You may just need a break pad cleaning.
  • rogerdoger45rogerdoger45 Member Posts: 3
    Took the car to the dealership I was told that the rotor are glaz to stop hard if they start to make noise.
  • kmaurerkmaurer Member Posts: 48
    I recently purchased a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu (new). The dealer swapped out the 18" wheels on my 2LT with the 17" rims from the 1LT. The tire pressure decal on the inside door, however, is for the 18" rims. What is the recommended tire pressure?
  • gonogogonogo Member Posts: 879
    Same pressure you have been using before on the 17 inch.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Alignment is certainly a possibility. It could also be a dragging brake so a quick look at these for signs of uneven wear or discolored rotors should be done when the car is initially raised onto alignment rack. Done without any tear down. A quick check for worn or broken suspension/steering components.
    Don't align to stop pull, but to factory spec. If still pulling after brakes have been eliminated, then a single tire is suspect. Rare, but it happens.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    1 Dealer is being slow on fix to tiny dent and scratches when picked up, $1500 worth.
    2 Deforming weather seal at roof line and along rear window. I'm guessing this occurs in carwash and I've seen alot of vehicles where this has occured. Poor engineering.
    3 Foam seal along lower edge rear window, inside, coming out of place.
    4 Discovered engineering flaw with dash vents for A/C. They can not be pointed high enough to do efficient cooling and at highest point flow directly in face causing dry eyes. I'm only 5'8". Dummy is dumb.
    5 I released latch and pushed in that area to open door. Door liner snapped.
    6 Steering wheel is to hard and worse is that it has a strange contour with a high point that wants to fit into the joint of thumb and palm. It gets painful after driving. Dummy could not tell them about this either.
    7 Issue with warning light not going out until after engine was restarted.
    8 Security light would not go out. Started engine four times before it went away.
    9 TSB for missing diodes on cooling fan circuit. Dealer says my VIN not included. I physically and electrically checked for their presence. They are not there!
    10 I'm finicky about tires and thought these Firestones were poor for the vehicle. Discovered they were base all-season passenger tire. Checked my window sticker and it clearly states "Touring Tires". Such better tires would go a long way toward aleviating the slight vibration at highway speeds which is felt at wheel, in seat, and hard armrest. It is like Chinese water torture, after a couple of hundred miles it becomes painful to me.
    11 Discovered how poorly the vehicle really handles, after break-in, on the interstate. Hard to keep it between lines and feels like there is play at steering wheel. Took to service to have checked. They aligned, but was told that is how the vehicles with EPS are. Not satisfied I complained again when it went in for seal issue. They did not even write it down and I was again told normal. Took to another dealer and they told me previous forgot to zero EPS after align. Back at my dealer, I took in for part recieved and again complained of steering and handling. I asked if they had zero'ed and recalibrated steering after the alignment. They assured me that they had. Something is awry and I am not happy.
    12 Doing a sweeping left turn into third lane, road wet, the rear broke loose and was starting to come around. I let off gas and steered into it, saving me from contacting curb. Either the ESC is not working properly or it is slower than I am. I won't bet my life on it.
    13 After about a thousand miles of interstate, several stops, I had to do a near panic stop. Traffic suddenly came to stop downtown Chicago. It felt like braking was weak. I tested the braking some and decided it felt like rear braking was inadequate, like applying front brake on motorcycle without applying rear. Such things as defective proportioning valve or divertor valve entered my mind, but this one has ABS. Still, I elected to push pedal to floor while stopped and then rear braking was better for awhile. I repeated that about every 150 miles for the next 1500 miles. Issue seemed to go away.
    14 Slowing for a traffic light, right front caliper sticks causing decreased braking and shaking. It was not the piston, but the caliper sticking on the slide and why it was shaking. More pedal pressure and it broke loose.
    15 With colder weather, transmission slips going for third gear, until it warms up. Feels like it was kicked into neutral for about a second before it engages. Delay is verified by watching tach which hesitates a second before dropping RPM.
    16 This is a reserved number for when I remember or encounter other issues. This is far more things than I would expect from a new vehicle.

    The BU does have some good points. Peppy when coupled with the AT6 and MPG is pretty good. DIC indicated 29.5 MPG for trip of about 2500 miles. About 2200 of that was interstate and all but once, the old way of checking showed I was actually get about 1 MPG more than the DIC indicated. DIC indicates that at a steady 55 MPH I should see near 40 MPG.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    >>15 With colder weather, transmission slips going for third gear, until it warms up. Feels like it was kicked into neutral for about a second before it engages. Delay is verified by watching tach which hesitates a second before dropping RPM. <<

    I also have an issue with the trans BUT I have an 08 BU, 4cyl, 4 speed trans.
    I can't figure out if its the engine or trans. When I accelerate, sometimes the engine will rev pass 5k rpm but wont change gears causing poor acceleration.Other times the RPM wont go pass 3k . But after about 10 min , its back to normal.I called Onstar to see if they can do a diagnostic check while I'm driving. According to them, everything looks normal. I have 13k on the Bu. I dont think my issue is the weather because , yesterday the temp at 8am was 25 degrees out , drove to work and it worked ok . I'll bring into the dealer at 15k :confuse:
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Is the vehicle constantly accelerating with the RPM?
    Which gear or gears are effected and what speed range?
    Do you have the paddle shift or ability to manually shift?
    Have you checked the fluid level?
    Check if you have the diodes in the cooling fan circuit. They should be near the connectors if I interpret wiring diagram correctly. If they are not there, you might need the jumper harness fix which adds them. There is at least one reported case of missing diodes causing TCM, transmission control module, to fail. (check TSB's)
    Also there has been an issue with transmission linkage having slipped resulting in vehicles coming out of park. Maybe yours is out of adjustment enough that you are not firmly in Drive.
    Without knowing more specifices, your situation could be the result of anything related to transmission and shifting.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    e net rider
    I have an 08 LS, auto trans, 4 cyl. I don't have the paddle shift.
    Its an intermittent issue . Sometimes, when I accelerate, It will rev past 5k RPM but wont shift gears (downshift ,I guess) Other times, when I accelerate , it will only rev to 2k RPM and the car just crawls without changing gears . After a few miles , the car shifts ok . This started in the fall , I believe . I hapened once and I just dismissed it
    I'll check the fluid and diodes.Do you have a link for GM's TSBs?
    I went to my Chev dealer back in Feb for an oil change, tire rotation and general inspection. I would hope the trans fluid level was checked at that time
    Thanks
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    I don't have exact link for TSB relating to 08-09 Malibu, but it is easy to find. A couple of them are for hybrid only, but the others could all be related to damage caused by the missing diodes.
    I saw a picture at dealer that showed the fix which was simply disconnecting the plug at the fan motors and then plugging in the short jumper harness that contained the diodes.
    Since mine does not have the diodes I can not say exactly where they are. I did get the page showing the wiring diagram with the cooling fans circuits. The way it was drawn seemed to indicate that the diodes should be located near or right at the connector plugging into the fan motor. With engine off and cold so there would be no power sent to motor, I unplugged from the fan and used a diode checker across the two pins in the connector. An ohm meter should be fine for this. Put the two probes, one in each socket (pin) and look for resistance. Then reverse the meter leads and check again. One direction should indicate an open, infinite resistance. The other should indicate some resistance, maybe about 10K ohms, certainly more than a few hundred. There is no danger to system because the relays feeding the power will be open.

    Clowns at jiffy dumped wifes tranny fluid. She declined the change and they did not refill. It still had enough fluid to work fairly well, for awhile. By time she discovered an issue the damage was already done. And sometime passed before she revealed what happened at Jiffy so that I was able to put the situation together so as to explain the missing 5 qts of fluid when there was no leak.
    I'd check it before going back for service, just in case.
    When it goes to 5K, is it upshifting at all. I assume vehicle is moving, so is it sticking in low or some other gear? Does the RPM change substantially without any change in speed? (couple of hundred RPM or more)
    As to 2K RPM, you are still not clear. Shift points vary widely with the amount you push the accelerator. With mild to moderate pedal, from a stop you should see at least one upshift, depending upon final speed. Not sure on 4 speed but it seems that before 50 MPH you should have shifted into fourth gear and acheived TCC lockup. If you are not able to feel the shifts, find a safe area, no traffic, keeping one eye on road and the other on tachometer. Slowy accelerate and watch for RPM drops indicating a shift. RPM will again rise to the next shift point. Abandon eye on tach if the road needs your eyes!
    Another test you can do which will determine slippage in low gear or reverse clutches is check stall RPM. Test should be limited to under 30 seconds with at least a few minutes between to allow cooling of fluid.
    Set brake and push brake to floor. If any vehicle movement happens, immediately release accelerator!
    Push accelerator to floor with previous instructions. RPM should come up to around 1000 RPM or slightly higher. This is the stall speed of the torque convertor and I don't know the exact stall speed for this vehicle. The RPM should hold steady at that RPM indicating no slippage in that particular clutch combination.
    It is suggested that be done in all available shifter positions. The stall RPM should be very close for all ranges. If that passes, you have at least eliminated some alarming conditions.
    You might even want to run it by a transmission shop that is reputable as a rebuilder. Believe it or not, quite a few dealers farm tranny work to such shops. It saves them the extra training and equipment necessary to do the job themselves. And most warranty jobs would be a tranny swap. Also a reputable shop will have a hand held unit that they can monitor while driving to pick up on problems that might not set a code or check engine.
  • ohgeezohgeez Member Posts: 12
    With 5100 miles my 2009 1ls out of no where has developed a front end wheal/tire vibration noticeably pronounced at 60+ mph. Does feel like a worn wheal bearing buzzing vibration. Just can't believe it on a new car, bringing it in to dealer. Has anyone experienced this and what was the fix? thanks.
    Oh by the way also have that clunky/knock noisy suspension.
    I do love this car otherwise. :cry:
  • ohgeezohgeez Member Posts: 12
    With 5100 miles my 2009 1ls out of no where has developed a front end wheal/tire vibration noticeably pronounced at 60+ mph. Does feel like a worn wheal bearing buzzing vibration. Just can't believe it on a new car, bringing it in to the dealer. Has anyone experienced this and what was the fix? thanks.
    Oh by the way also have that clunky/knock noisy suspension.
    I do love this car otherwise. :cry:
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    To recap from an earlier post
    I was was getting sluggish shifing. Also at 5k RPM , it wont shift gears . Same goes for 2k, no pep on acceleration and wont change gears .
    The Check Engine light came on .I called On Star . They confirmed the engine misfired . Later on. SERVICE TRACTION indicator came on.
    Its most noticeable when I first start out in the morning .I brought it into my dealer (13,600 k on the car). After I described the situation, he said he had other cars with simialr issues and it was a cat converter .
    He ran tests an confirmed my cat converter on the manfold was bad ( he said there are 2 converters on this model). He said the part is on a national back order because of the high demand . The high alcohol content ( GOV EPA RATING ) in the gas caused it to go bad . So I have the car now , still driveable and I have to wait for the cat to arrive . I wonder if GM will modify the cat beacuse of the alcohol content in the gas ? I'm located in the NE
  • ohc6sprintohc6sprint Member Posts: 23
    Regarding the suspension noise you mentioned, I had a similar noise develop in my 2008 Saturn Aura. It clunked on turns, driveway transitions and when I reversed direction. It was a worn pitman arm bushing. Car had 15,000 miles on it. Service tech told me that he has seen bad bushings in cars under 1000 miles. It took only an hour to replace the part and totally eliminated the noise.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    First I"ve heard of anyone loosing a cat because of alcohol content. 10% is not very high. The alcohol should make your engine burn cleaner, oxygenated fuel. The main reason for the cat is to burn excess hydrocarbons, burn CO turning it into CO2. If for some reason you were running very rich, that excess would be taken care of by cat but it might also be so much that the cat basically melts inside. GM was on Christmas shutdown till the 5th. I checked at GM parts direct and they only show one cat and it is a special order only item.
    Did you possibly mean O2 sensor? There are two of them. A front and rear or position 1 & 2, ie pre cat and aft cat. GM parts shows an updated one for the rear, but Rock Auto shows two different ones for the front, for A4 or A6 tranny. They too are special order, non-stock items.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    The service manager clearly said cat. No mention of the Co2 sensor . I guess I just have to wait and see what was written on the service ticket when its replaced . I , too was a liitle skeptical about it . But who knows?? What scares me is , if its is the cat design , and nothing is done to change it , I may have to get it replaced several times . If I see a pattern happening ,I'll get rid of the car before the emissions warranty expires . The cat warranty is 8 years, or 80k miles. I never had a cat replaced with such a low mileage . I only had a cat replaced once , years ago with my Chev Cavalier and that was right before the warranty expired ,50k . The only symptom was it was making a rattling noise .
    Time will tell . He did clear the computer codes and told me not to accelerate hard .I will keep you informed when its finally replaced
  • gonogogonogo Member Posts: 879
    The 2.4 has 2 converters, 1 at the manifold and one just forward of the resonator. So 2 converters, 1 resonator and 1 muffler. Lots of junk on the 2.4.
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Having the service TCS is interesting. I can easily see how that could cause the other issues. I'm uncertain of it being the other way around.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    I found out that the 4 cyl engines use a closed-coupled converter system (2 converters) Apparently other car companies use this system on 4 cyl engines as well. If you do a search here on this site (search forums ) for closed-coupled converter , someone had similar issues. I also did a google search and found a 2005 Cavalier owner with the same issue that I have .. High rev , , not shifting
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